Sir Richard Digby Neave (1793-1868)
Sir Richard Digby Neave, the third baronet was born on the 9th of December 1793. Known as Digby Neave, he was the grandson of the first baronet, Sir Richard Neave and 1st son of the second baronet, Sir Thomas Neave. He was sheriff of Essex in 1821. He added to the estates, Brick Kiln Farm in 1848 and Spice Pitts Farm in 1854. The Neaves were also in possession of Gidea Hall in 1849, where the widow of Sir Thomas Neaves youngest son, William Augustus Neave, was living at this time. Lingham says, on page 9, "the widow of Sir Thomas" but Sir Thomas's widow, Frances Caroline, died in 1835, and, was buried in Noak Hill Church cemetery.
Sir Digby married Mary Arundell on the 7th August 1828, youngest daughter of the 9th Baron Arundell of Wardour (d 30th August 1849) and had with other issue Arundell the 4th baronet. Sir Richard Digby Neave died 10th March 1868 leaving his eldest son Arundell as his heir.
March 21st 1868, Illustrated London News.
OBITUARY of EMINENT PERSONS.
SIR R. D. NEAVE. BART
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Sir Richard Digby Neave, third Baronet, of Dagnam Park, in the county of Essex, who died, on the 10th inst, in his town house, 78, Eccleston- Square, was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Neave, the second Baronet, by his wife, Frances Caroline, daughter of the very Rev. William Digby, Dean of Durham, grandson of William, fifth Baron Digby. He was born on Dec 9th 1793, and was educated at St. Mary’s Hall, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. to 1815. He was the author of a work entitled "Four Days in Connemara." He succeeded to the Baronetcy on the death of his father, April 11. 1848. He married, Aug 7th 1828, the Hon. Mary Arundell, youngest daughter of James Everard, ninth Lord Arundell of Wardour, (who died Aug.30,1849) by whom he had issue six sons, of whom two survive him, and five daughters, of whom three are married, viz, Blanche, wife of John Richard Westgarth Hildyard, Esq. of Horsley, in the county of Durham and Hilton Bonvile Hall, in the county of York; Venetia, wife of the Rev. John Whittaker Maitland, Rector of Loughton, Essex; and Cecily, wife of Wyndham Slade. Esq, son of General Sir John Slade, Bart. Sir Richard is succeeded by his eldest son (now Sir Arundell Neave), the fourth Baronet, who was born June 4th 1828, and was lately a Captain in the 3rd Dragoon Guards. The name of this family was formerly written Le Neve the line is presumed to be of Norman extraction. Its first recorded ancestors, however, were Adam Le Neve, of Quiddenham, in the county of Norfolk, living in the reign of Edward I; and Jordan Le Neve, living temp. Edward II, from whom lineally descended, through a line of most respectable progenitors. Sir Richard Neave, who was son of James Neave, Esq.,of London, by Susanna, daughter of Thomas Truman, Esq. and who was created a Baronet, May 13th 1795.He was a commercial character of great eminence, and filled the office of Governor of the Bank of England in 1780. He was grandfather of the Baronet just deceased.
Mary Neave - Wife of Sir Richard Digby Neave
THE HONOURABLE MARY NEAVE, A COUNTESS OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, is daughter of the late Everard James, ninth Lord Arundel of Wardour, and Mary, third daughter of Robert Jones, Esq.
Mrs. Neave's descent and lineage, both in the paternal and maternal line, are in the highest degree ancient and illustrious. About the middle of the sixteenth century, Sir Thomas Arundel, her lineal ancestor, peculiarly distinguished himself against the Turks at the battle of Stregonium, where he served as a volunteer under the Emperor Rodolph II. For his valorous feats on that occasion he was created a Count of the Holy Roman Empire by patent, dated at Prague, December 14th, 1595, with limitation to each of his children and their descendants for ever of both sexes. He was subsequently elevated to the peerage of England by King James I., on the 4th of May, 1605, with the title of Baron Arundel of Wardour. His honours descended in due course to the father of the lady who is the subject of the present necessarily brief notice.
By her mother's side Mrs. Neave claims a descent of very high antiquity in the annals of Great Britain, as deriving her lineage from the ancient house of Jones, of Holt, in Denbighshire, which traces its origin in a regular genealogical course up to Ednowain Bendew, son of Conan, and grandson of Gwaithvoed, Prince of Powis.
Mrs. Neave, then the Honourable Mary Arundel, was married to Richard Digby Neave, Esq., on the 7th of August, 1828.
Mr. Neave, according to tradition, is descended from the ancient family of Le Neve of Norfolk; but in the early part of the seventeenth century, we find the branch from which this gentleman immediately springs possessed of considerable property in the counties of Suffolk and Essex. Sir Richard Neave, the first Baronet, became an eminent merchant of London, and was elected Governor of the Bank of England in 1780. He bore a conspicuous part in the mercantile transactions of that period, being one of the Commissioners of Public Accounts, a Director of the Hudson Bay Company, Chairman of the West India Merchants, and also of the Ramsgate Harbour Trusts.
His son and successor, Sir Thomas Neave of Dagnum Park, Essex, married Frances Caroline, daughter of the Rev. William Digby, Dean of Durham, and niece of the first Earl of Digby, of which marriage Mr. Richard Digby Neave is the eldest born and next in succession to the Baronetcy.
The picture is taken from Finden's "Female Aristocracy of the Court of Queen Victoria" published by Hogarth of London in 1849. It is a large stipple engraving entitled "The Honourable Mrs Neave", made by William Henry Egleton (active 1833-1862) after the design by Robert Faulkner. The text is as printed.